Vershaw We Find Him (The Landscape)
This is a summation of episode 14 of the Landscape campaign. The party steers Conflict II: The Moneyist up'' ''to the shores of the nearest Isle of Carceri. The stinking marsh is not a very inviting place, and as they lower themselves in a rowbot and head inland, an oppressive mood settles over the normally jovial group. Strange lurking and wandering shadows are spotted in the corners of their eyes, and although the lost souls appear to have no interest in them, the adventurers sense danger. After a short while of rowing they arrive at a mucky and run-down group of hovels, lumped together on some high ground as if it were some sort of village. Only one of the villagers will speak to them, an emaciated and miserable goliath, relating his terrible story of sin, and subsequent imprisonment by his own kind from back on the Material Plane. The group inspects his black and silver bracelet, which binds him to the islands, and try as he might, JimJam is unable to provide the goliath with freedom. Thankful for some offered food and conversation, the goliath points them to the home of a loner deep in the marsh. It is said that this strange man named Vershaw knows his way through the Isles, and can direct the group to the gold dragon they seek. The wanderer's hut is nothing to write home about, but the group knocks, and a strange alien creature emerges, obviously ancient and sickly, the blue skinned amphibian stands incredibly tall on thin, spindly legs, his mouth, abnormally oversized, looks like it could engulf a boot in a single bite - and shred it to mincemeat with his multiple rows of shark-like teeth. Vershaw reveals himself to be a Myaner , a race of swordmasters known to have fought in a war with the Biglanders (Karthooghians) long before even Linger was around. As the adventurers ask for directions to the gold dragon, his expression lights up. He invites them inside and shows them a gloriously glittering golden blade. This is the Fighter's Blade, "You are heroes, searching in deep dark places for a golden dragon. Obviously fate has brought you here so this artifact, which I have hidden and protected for so long, can move on." As the group debates who exactly would carry such an obviously important and immensely powerful weapon, Vershaw tries to divulge more information to them about its history - albiet without asking first. The heroes vision blurs and they find themselves each seeing through the eyes of a Myaner knight led by Vershaw, about to launch an assault on a Biglander fortress to retrieve an unknown artifact. The assault goes terribly, with nearly every man being slain by a hulking Biglander weiling the Fighter's Blade, save for the tragic Craxle. Craxle, who was honor-bound to protect his friends from ill fate and who had deep love for his companions found himself in a desperate gambit. His razor shattered, he himself all but dead, managed to disarm the Biglander, snatch up the sword and disappear back into a Myaner portal. The adventurer's vision returns, and Kel sees the anguished and guilt wracked Myaner before him. Having seen Craxle's sight and knowing his thought, Kel identifies that the Myaner is not in fact the Myaner Master Vershaw, but truly the disgraced Craxle. Out of his mind with outrage, adrenaline, and shared shame Kel slays the Myaner, slicing the alien's throat.